My mother died, aged 92 and with a pacemaker. I’ll tell the story with dark humour because that’s what she enjoyed, and I know she’d appreciate it.
So, mum was in hospital: she could no longer swallow and was obviously on her way out. I refused to get her intubated to keep her alive; she hated the idea and I wanted to let her go with some dignity. I sat with her all day and watched as she slipped away because, unlike with our pets who can be “put to sleep” with a simple injection, one is forced to watch a loved one die slowly and painfully over hours or even days. But I digress.
Eventually, at around 10:30 p.m. her breathing began to slow down. Then it stopped. I waited a while and called to the nurse on duty: “I think it’s over.” Immediately after these words, mum took another shuddering breath. “Oops,” I said. “My mistake, she’s back again!”
Now, I don’t know whether or not that was her pacemaker kicking in, but another nurse did tell me that people with pacemakers don’t tend to die easily because it keeps bringing them back. No idea if it’s true or not.
Cheers, mum! Now you’re a minor internet celebrity!
My mother died, aged 92 and with a pacemaker. I’ll tell the story with dark humour because that’s what she enjoyed, and I know she’d appreciate it.
So, mum was in hospital: she could no longer swallow and was obviously on her way out. I refused to get her intubated to keep her alive; she hated the idea and I wanted to let her go with some dignity. I sat with her all day and watched as she slipped away because, unlike with our pets who can be “put to sleep” with a simple injection, one is forced to watch a loved one die slowly and painfully over hours or even days. But I digress.
Eventually, at around 10:30 p.m. her breathing began to slow down. Then it stopped. I waited a while and called to the nurse on duty: “I think it’s over.” Immediately after these words, mum took another shuddering breath. “Oops,” I said. “My mistake, she’s back again!”
Now, I don’t know whether or not that was her pacemaker kicking in, but another nurse did tell me that people with pacemakers don’t tend to die easily because it keeps bringing them back. No idea if it’s true or not.
Cheers, mum! Now you’re a minor internet celebrity!
Edit: grammar.